SPORTS

STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State Athletic Strength and Conditioning Department will hold its first clinic March 12 to educate coaches and trainers on technological advancements and new methods of building better athletes.

Today marks the start of a hopeful rise or fearful plunge in National Football League draft stock for more than 300 former amateur athletes.
A pair of former Mississippi State Bulldogs have some work to do if they want to become the program’s first draft picks since 2007.

STARKVILLE — Down, but not out.
That seems to be a theme for the Mississippi State University baseball team this season.
For the third time in four games, MSU overcame a deficit, this time thanks to Luke Adkins and Connor Powers, who hit back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the ninth inning in a 6-5 victory against the University of Alabama-Birmingham on Tuesday night.

STARKVILLE — Apparently everyone in the Mississippi State University men’s basketball camp is fine with the lineup the Bulldogs use and when they use it.
So long as the team is winning.
In the past two games, the Bulldogs (19-8, 7-5 Southeastern Conference) have started a “big” lineup with Jarvis Varnado, Kodi Augustus and Romero Osby across the front line.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Deion Curry wasn’t going to let anything keep him from helping the Pickens County High School boys basketball team make it to its first state championship game in 39 years.
The junior guard overcame being involved in a collision Tuesday to help Pickens County beat Sand Rock 59-54 in the Class 2A semifinals of the Alabama High School Athletic Association Final 48 State Tournament at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center.

Sports never follow a plan.
If they did, Chris Hamm’s speech Saturday following the title game of the Alabama Christian Education Athletic Association Division I State Tournament would have praised the players for their effort and convinced them that the 2010-11 season was theirs to win a championship.

SCOOBA — The top eight seeds have advanced to today’s semifinals of the MACJC State Basketball Tournament, as all four No. 1 and 2 women’s seeds prevailed Tuesday in opening-round women’s action at Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.
In Tuesday’s nightcap, which was a rematch of last year’s NJCAA Region 23 championship contest, the No. 3 nationally ranked Lady Wolves of Copiah-Lincoln remained unbeaten (24-0) with a 73-65 victory against East Mississippi Community College.

Brandon Johnson didn’t have a busy Saturday at the Columbus High School baseball jamboree.
He’d like to hope the rest of the season will be as uneventful, but he knows better.
The start of another baseball season has Johnson concerned he might be right.

STARKVILLE — Senioritis came on the wrong day for the Mississippi State women’s basketball team.
With a chance to solidify its chances to earn a first-round bye to the Southeastern Conference Tournament next month in Duluth, Ga., the Lady Bulldogs played their most uninspired and unfocused game of the season.
Alli Smalley and Auburn were only too happy to take advantage.

Time doesn’t stop in life or in sports.
As soon as one task or game ends, another is ready on the to-do list or a click away via the remote.
But sometimes special moments force you to pause for a moment of reflection.

Mark White isn’t sure what he’ll get today.
His East Mississippi Community College men’s basketball team is still dealing with sickness that affected the Lions on Thursday in a loss to Northeast Mississippi C.C. in the regular-season finale.

STARKVILLE — Jarvis Varnado doesn’t spend much time thinking about his ascent to the top of the NCAA record books.
But Mississippi State men’s basketball fans are keenly aware of the chance Varnado has to make history Wednesday night.

STARKVILLE — John Cohen admits his Mississippi State baseball team couldn’t have had a better start to the 2010 season.
After sweeping the University of Rhode Island last weekend, the Bulldogs (3-0) will try in today’s home game (4 p.m.) against the University of Alabama at Birmingham to use youth on the mound and to get solid run support like they did against the Rams.

The beauty of having young, inexperienced players is coaches never know what they’re going to get.
After falling behind 3-0 in the season opener to Winston Academy, Heritage Academy baseball coach Steve Hancock wasn’t sure how his team would respond.

At the beginning of the season, Pickens County High School boys basketball coach Russ Wallace didn’t envision his team being ranked No. 1 and making it to the Final Four.
But that’s the case as Pickens County will play Sand Rock at 8:30 tonight in the Class 2A semifinals of the Alabama High School Athletic Association Final 48 State Basketball Tournament at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham, Ala.

CARROLLTON, Ala. — The trophy fits nicely in the hands of Tate Fuller, Catherine Johnson, and Callie Minor.
With one of the nets from the team’s victory Friday against Lakeside Christian draped on the trophy’s basketball, the players’ reflections blurred together as Johnson held the trophy Monday for a picture.

The East Mississippi Community College women’s basketball team can accomplish a feat tonight that no other team has realized this season when it takes the court in the MACJC state tournament.
The Lady Lions can be the first team to beat Copiah-Lincoln Community College when the teams tip off against each other at 7:30 tonight in Scooba.

STARKVILLE — Pearl Rack had dreams for her daughter.
As someone who enjoys dancing and as a past sponsor of the Franklin High School (La.) dance team, Pearl imagined a day when her youngest child, Alexis, would take the stage for a performance and delight audiences with her moves.
Pearl decided to assist Alexis with her steps by enrolling her in a dance class.
But Alexis wouldn’t move.

STARKVILLE — The much-heralded but untested freshman pitching class of the Mississippi State baseball showed why head coach John Cohen had no qualms about leaning on the newcomers this year.
In just the second game of the season, freshman starter Chris Stratton and freshman relievers Kendall Graveman and C.C Watson combined on a five-hit shutout to pitch Mississippi State past Rhode Island 9-0 on Saturday.
MSU (2-0) will host Rhode Island again at 1:30 p.m. today in the final game of the season-opening series.

STARKVILLE — This time, there would be no Greenville-Weston upset at The Beehive.
Starkville High School guard Edward Townsel said he and his teammates had long put last year’s shocking loss to Greenville-Weston in the MHSAA Class 5A North State Tournament behind them.
But with the way the Yellow Jackets played Saturday it seemed like there was some revenge on tap in their 80-63 win to clinch the Class 6A North State championship.